Women are up to three times more likely to experience discomfort after surgery, according to research released by the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA).
Overall, a third (35%) of patients reported discomfort after anaesthesia, although the majority ofUK patients were very satisfied with the care they received from anaesthetists.
The HSRC SNAP-1 study, carried out by the RCoA funded Health Services Research Centre (HSRC) and the University College London Hospitals NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, was the largest ever study of this kind conducted in the UK. Surveying 15,040 patients, it looked into adult patient satisfaction and experience after undergoing non-obstetric surgery requiring anaesthesia care, in order to identify targets for research and quality improvement.
The study found that compared to men, women were:
• Up to three times more likely to experience severe discomfort than men.
• Almost three times (2.77 times) more likely to experience severe cold or nausea and vomiting.
• Almost twice as likely to experience severe pain (1.73 times) and drowsiness (1.7) after surgery requiring anaesthesia care.
• More likely to experience severe thirst (1.32 times) and sore throat (1.52 times).
Despite these gender-specific differences, women were no more likely to be dissatisfied with the hospital care they received. Both male and female patients surveyed were very satisfied with the care they received, with 99% of respondents stating that they would recommend their hospital’s anaesthesia service to their friends and family. Anxiety was most frequently cited as being the worst element of having an operation – reported by 34% of women and 26% of men.
Dr Ramani Moonesinghe, chief investigator of the study and director of the HSRC, said: “This research provides important information which will help us improve anaesthetic services for the millions of people across the world each year who undergo surgery requiring anaesthesia care. While the SNAP1 study does not tell us why women are more likely to experience severe discomfort after surgery, other research points towards plausible reasons why, for example, women feel pain and cold more than men. At the very least, we will use these findings to better prepare future patients for their procedure. Furthermore, simple interventions which have previously been shown to reduce anxiety and pain, such as listening to music around the time of surgery could be rapidly implemented across the NHS at no extra cost and potentially offer huge benefits to patients.”
Dr Liam Brennan, president of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, added: “As highly trained doctors, skilled in perioperative management, anaesthetists make a profound difference to the quality of patient care. To know that the overwhelming majority of patients were very satisfied with the care they received from their anaesthetist is extremely gratifying. However, many postoperative symptoms can be extremely distressing for patients as well as potentially delaying discharge from hospital. At the heart of the College's perioperative research strategy is, measuring the quality of anaesthesia care in terms of the patient experience. This provides an opportunity to drive improvement that will not only benefit millions of patients each year but will also enhance productivity and more efficient use of scarce NHS resources.”
